Legislative Branch

The U.S. Capitol Building, contains the meeting chambers for the Senate and the House of Representatives.

There are three branches of government and each plays an important role in the overall functionality and balance of it. The legislative branch is the law making body that is responsible for constructing documents to make a new law, which is often at the request of the people who the legislator represents. This is a process that takes place in Congress, which is made up of two parts. After the legislative branch follows their rules, the documents then move onto another one of the three branches of government.

What is a Bill?

A bill is the way that Congress proposes a new law or amendment to an existing government. It normally originates in a committee, which is a small section of the people who are elected to represent constituents in Congress. These committees construct the bill and then present it to other members of Congress. They then vote on the bill. If the bill is approved, it moves on to the next step. If it is rejected, the committee must rework it and resubmit it to Congress. When a bill makes it through this rigid scrutiny, it still might not become a law because it must then pass to two more branches of government for their approval as well. Many bills concern issues such as the environment, the economy and civil rights of citizens.

Congress

This is the name given to the legislative branch. It is made up of two parts. They are called the House or Representatives and the Senate. Each unit is comprised of elected officials from different geographic locations of the country. Each one has their specific region’s voters, or constituents, in mind when they go to work every day. This allows for a fair and just Congress because all parts of the country have a voice in the legislature regardless of their geographic location.

A bill begins in the House of Representatives and then moves to the Senate in Congress. Because of this, it must meet all guidelines and gain approval by many elected officials before becoming a law. This process makes it very difficult for a law to pass, but this process gives much thought and research every bill, which makes a government run smoothly.

Representatives and Senators

Representatives or the elected officials that work in the House of Representatives and Senators are those who work in the Senate. These people are politicians who have campaigned in their state to gain their position. They are often chosen because of their platform, or views or specific concerns of their constituents. Most politicians are a member of a party. The members of the same party often work together in Congress because they often share views and have similar concerns.

Representatives and Senators are often lawyers, doctors and other community leaders. They must meet specific requirements of age and citizenship before they can be elected. A representative’s term last for two years in Congress and a senator’s term lasts six years. The officials can be reelected after this period if the people of that region vote them into another term. This often depends if the representative met the expectations of their region or state.